KRLD Restaurant Week is a Win-Win

It is OFFICIALLY KRLD Restaurant Week in Dallas and Fort Worth area! This is the ultimate foodie event of the year.  Texas Beef Council hosted a preview dinner of Restaurant Week, and I can tell you that you will NOT be disappointed! This is a great time to have a try restaurants that’s prices have intimated you.  Also, many restaurants have items on their menu that are only offered during Restaurant Week, such as Chamberlain’s Duck Confit Spring Rolls. You have to try this!



I also enjoyed an amazing Kobe Sirloin from North Texas’ own Strube Ranch as main course and ended the perfect meal with a Warm Chocolate Center Cake with Blackberry Port Sauce. To say that I was satisfied would be an understatement. Just ask the people who were dining with me. 😉

It’s a perfect time to book summer dining deals at 130 regional hot spots opening up tables, and currently accepting reservations for this special giveback opportunity supporting the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home the week of August 15-21, 2011. The event continues through September 4, 2011.

The event showcases North Texas’ thriving culinary scene, offers tasty three-course prix fixe dinner combinations priced at only $35/person (tax, tip and drinks billed separately). The icing on the cake is that consumer patronage helps support local fine dining establishments and two great charities – making a $7 donation to either the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas or Lena Pope Homein Fort Worth. Last year they raised over $600,000 for these great organizations.
BONUS TIP: Make purchase of $25 or more at any Central Market location, to receive a certificate redeemable for a FREE fourth course valid at participating Restaurants.
Where will you be dining? Enjoy & make your reservations at the participating restaurants here!

The TX Beef council provided me with a complimentary dinner and $100 gift card for Restaurant Week in exchange for my attendance and feedback on KRLD Restaurant Week.

Art from the Heart

Come enjoy “Art from the Heart” Celebrity Art Auction & Benefit on Friday, April 29, 7 PM – 10 PM at MARC Events in the Dallas Design District. It will feature a competitive auction of the artwork of prominent local and national celebrities, along with hot dishes from Dallas chef Marc DePetris, cool beverages and a hopping dance floor with music spun by DJ Jennifer Miller with Paul Parades. 

Celebrity artists include the following:  
·  Drew Waters, Friday Night Lights
·  David Kunkle, mayoral candidate
·  Flozell Adams, former Dallas Cowboy
·  Gloria Campos, WFAA-TV news anchor
·  Gina Miller, CBS11/TXA21 news anchor
·  Jody Dean, radio personality
·  Stephan Pyles, celebrity chef
·  Jason Castro, musician
·  Any many more

Artist Rolando Diaz will paint live at the event. Guests will have the opportunity to watch his masterpiece come to life and then bid on his finished work. 

Tickets are currently available for purchase here, beginning at $125 for an individual, or $200 for a couple.  All proceeds from this event will go to Dallas Challenge. This 27-year-old agency deals directly with critical issues like drug and alcohol use and truancy that children and teens face in today’s society. Each year, Dallas Challenge helps over 7,500  local children and teens turn their lives around and return to school, discover a sober lifestyle and become more resilient to the destructive behaviors that can negatively affect their futures.

What a great way to enjoy Dallas talent & help the children of our city!

Breakfast with Cheryl Forberg, RD

Come enjoy a breakfast with Cheryl Forberg, RD, Award Winning Cookbook author and nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 7:30 AM- 9 AM at SYSCO Dallas, 800 Trinity Drive, Lewisville, TX. If you are a fan of this popular show, you can ask Cheryl questions about what takes place when the cameras are not rolling on the ranch and learn weight loss tips that Cheryl teaches to the Biggest Loser contestants. This full breakfast will even include Cheryl’s pumpkin polenta.


Register at http://www.dallasdietitian.com. Tickets are $25.00. All proceeds from this event will go to the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Days of Taste Program. The program was modeled after one in France and quickly picked up in our own country, now Days of Taste Dallas helps fourth and fifth graders from the Dallas public schools discover the farm to table concept as well. These students tour the Dallas Farmer’s Market and meet with local farmers and chefs who help to teach them about the local produce and how to grasp enthusiasm for local, fresh ingredients.

What a great way to start your day!

Family Camp Worth the Money


I have been meaning to write more regularly on my blog, but life has distracted me. One of these things was a great vacation this past summer to a family camp. I know you might think this is only seen on movies, but there are actually great places around the country which allow the family to bond for a week with no distractions like TV and Internet. My trip to family camp was life changing, and I challenge your family to go to one.

Family camp is run much in the way a youth camp would be including activities for families together or apart such as kayaking, hiking, swimming, rock jumping and arts and crafts. Meals at family camp are eaten together in the rustic dining hall, but here is the catch. Parents are not always responsible for their children at all times. We attended Forest Home in Mill Creek Canyon, California. At this camp, they provide or you bring a CCA (Childcare Assistant). During the late afternoon and evening times, she watches your children meanwhile you and your honey bond over a good message or quiet, couple time 🙂 This was a great week long vacation that was hard to leave. My daughter still talks about the great times she had at family camp. This great experience will be a tradition in the Buxton household, and I hope in yours. This next year, we will try another camp called Pine Cove.

If you too have had a great experience at family camp, please share where and what was great about it.

Travel: A Honeymoon at Cape Cod & the Islands

It was 7 years ago that my new husband and I set out on an adventure to the wonderful area of the country known as Cape Cod. We had met overseas, married in the desert of Arizona and now it was time to relax and enjoy the Cape and the Islands. Little did we know that there would be some many things to see and do on on the 70-mile peninsula.CapeCodTravelGuide

There are a myriad of activities available, like a trip whale watching or an afternoon of deep sea fishing. But, we were newlyweds and enjoyed walking on the sandy beach at low tide. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the beaches along Cape Cod and the Islands have breathtaking views, massive sand dunes and interesting walking trails to enjoy. In the town of Falmouth, we window shopped in the antique boutiques and creative art studios, and we started our first holiday tradition where we bought our first Christopher Radko ornament for our tree and then a Cape Cod adirondack chair ornament to remember our time at the Cape.

A Cape Cod Honeymoon
Picture a cozy room in a sea captain’s house with a canopy bed, a fireplace and in the morning the delightful aroma of fresh baked cinnamon rolls … the perfect honeymoon location. There are many choices available to make your dream trip a reality. The service all along the Cape and the Islands is phenomenal, where they pamper their guests. If you want to stay on the famous Martha’s Vineyard, we highly recommend staying at the Harbor View Hotel. It is a beautiful bed & breakfast that is close to all he great shops and eateries, but private enough to enjoy with the one you love.harborviewhotel

A Black Culinary Experience
We were tickled to see a theme regarding the food along the Cape, a lot of restaurants with called Black insert an animal name. First, we came across Black Cat Tavern in Hyannis. And, this fresh seafood restaurant left us in awe of the culinary cuisine on the Atlantic Coast. The maiko shark was “the best I have ever had,” said my husband and still to this day, it is the best. Black Cat is good-value seafood that will not disappoint with its nautical-theme right on the Hyannis docks. A couple of days later, we took the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard, where on the recommendation of my posh aunt and uncle said to stop by Black Dog Tavern. “You won’t regret it.” Ok, why not?! Black Dog has a special place in my husband’s heart, as he enjoyed the freshest, sweetest lobster in whole entire life. It was so good that in the middle of our meal, he calls his best friend to tell him all about it. Yes, I was sitting across from him, but I was also disgusted by the slurping of him when pulling the meat out of the shell. That being said, Friday is lobster night: A complete lobster dinner will cost you $20. On sunny days, try to get a seat on the outdoor patio next to the harbor. You can also find a restaurant called Blackfish in Truro and Black Sheep Bah & Grill in Yarmouth, not be confused with Black Sheep grocery on Martha’s Vineyard. Like I said, Cape Cod & the Islands have a unique black culinary experience for you to enjoy.BlackCatTavern blackdogtavern

Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out my travel board on Pinterest here!